Northern Spain Trip Report (13th-17th April 2014) - Species List and Locations

Day 1 – Barcelona to Zaragoza

Monk Parakeet – 13^th April – Barcelona city centre (Placa de les Heroines de Girona)

Purple Heron –13^th April – Route from Barcelona to Zaragoza (two flying over)

White Stork – 13^th April – Route from Barcelona to Zaragoza (flying over)

Fan-Tailed Warbler – 13^th April – Small track off roundabout off LL11, Lleida (displaying in fields by the side of the track)

Spotless Starling – 13^th April – Small track off LL11, Lleida (In trees by small building by the side of the track)

Crested Lark – 13^th April – Small track off roundabout off LL11, Lleida (on the wall by the side of the track)

Serin – 13^th April – N240, Lleida (in small courtyard by abandoned warehouse)

Penduline Tit – 13^th April – Avinguda President Josep, Tarradellas, off the N240, Lleida (in small reedbed by the side of the road)

Bee-eater – 13^th April - N211, opposite Calle la Via, Torrente de Cinca, Huesca, near the Rio Cinca (flying overhead and on wires)

Griffon Vulture – 13^th April – Route from Barcelona to Zaragoza, around Mequinenza (circling overhead)

Sardinian Warbler – 13^th April – N211, Mequinenza, Zaragoza, near the Rio Segre (in shrubs by the side of the road)

Crag Martin – 13^th April – N211, Mequinenza, Zaragoza, near the Rio Segre (flying along mountains by side of the road)

Red-rumped Swallow – 13^th April - N211, Mequinenza, Zaragoza, near the Rio Segre (flying over the river)

Short-toed Treecreeper – 13^th April – Car park off N211 overlooking the Rio Segre near Mequinenza (in trees off footpath by the river)

Southern Grey Shrike – 13^th April –N211 on the way to Caspe from Lleida (sitting in a shrub by the side of the road)

Calandra Lark – 13^th April – N232, Zaragoza (flying by the side of road in fields)

Montagu’s Harrier – 13^th April – Road from Belchite to Codo (flying across ridge by side of the road)

Day 2 – Zaragoza to Loporzano

Dupont’s Lark – 14^th April – Near Codo and Belchite, Zaragoza (8 individuals showing well and singing)

Lesser Short-toed Lark – 14^th April - Near Codo and Belchite, Zaragoza (in muddy field at the side of path)

Thekla Lark – 14^th April - Near Codo and Belchite, Zaragoza (numerous individuals showing well)

Black-eared Wheatear – 14^th April - Near Codo and Belchite, Zaragoza (two flying and perching in large muddy fields down the track)

Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse – 14^th April - Near Codo and Belchite, Zaragoza (three walking in the fields down the track)

Black-bellied Sandgrouse –14^th April - Near Codo and Belchite, Zaragoza (two flying and walking in the fields down the track)

Rock Sparrow – 14^th April – Antiguo Belchite off the A-222 Belchite, Zaragoza (on bombed church ruins)

Blue Rock Thrush – 14^th April - Antiguo Belchite off the A-222 Belchite, Zaragoza (on bombed church ruins)

Black Wheatear – 14^th April - Antiguo Belchite off the A-222 Belchite, Zaragoza (on bombed church ruins)

Black Kite – 14^th April - Route from Zaragoza to Loporzano – A23 Zaragoza

Booted Eagle – 14^th April – Route from Zaragoza to Loporzano – A23 Zaragoza (circling by the side of the road)

Western Bonelli’s Warbler – 14^th April - Embalse de la Sotonera, Huesca (In shrubby trees by the side of the lake)

Cirl Bunting – 14^th April – Embalse de la Sotonera, Huesca (In shrubby trees by the side of the lake)

Day 3 – Valle de Hecho - Pyranees

Egyptian Vulture – 15^th April – Route from Loporzano to Valle de Hecho – A132 (soaring over mountains)

Alpine Chough – 15^th April - Parque Natural de los Valles Occidentales - Valle de Hecho, Huesca (Flying overhead over the mountains)

Crested Tit – 15^th April - Parque Natural de los Valles Occidentales - Valle de Hecho, Huesca (in trees by cliff face)

Lammergeier – 15^th April – Parque Natural de los Valles Occidentales - Valle de Hecho, Huesca (Flying overhead on trail)

Wallcreeper – 15^th April - Parque Natural de los Valles Occidentales - Valle de Hecho, Huesca (On cliff face, calling and showing well)

Rock Bunting – 15^th April - Parque Natural de los Valles Occidentales - Valle de Hecho, Huesca (On rocks on trail down to waterfall)

Scops Owl – 15^th April – In trees in the park off Calle Rioja, Huesca city centre (showing in tree near gates)

Day 4 – Loporzano to Zaragoza

Subalpine Warbler – 16^th April - Viewpoint on A1603 near Santa Cruz de la Seros (showing well in trees by the side of the road)

Black Woodpecker – 16^th April – Viewpoint at Monasterio de San Juan de la Pena (Monestario alto)

Citril Finch – 16^th April – On the road up to the car park at Monasterio de San Juan de la Pena (feeding on the road)

Day 5 – Zaragoza to Barcelona

Greater Flamingo – 17^th April – Two on the lake at Laguna de Gallocanta

 

Additional Birds

Great Crested Grebe

Cormorant

Little Egret

Great White Egret

Grey Heron

Mute Swan

Shelduck

Mallard

Golden Eagle

Red Kite

Marsh Harrier

Common Buzzard

Kestrel

Peregrine

Merlin

Red-Legged Partridge

Coot

Common Crane

Avocet

Black-winged Stilt

Little Ringed Plover

Lapwing

Common Sandpiper

Redshank

Common Snipe

Black-headed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Great-spotted Cuckoo

Common Swift

Hoopoe

Green Woodpecker - (sharpei)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Skylark

Sand Martin

Barn Swallow

House martin

Water pipit

Pied wagtail

Yellow wagtail - (iberiae)

Grey Wagtail

Dunnock

Robin

Black Redstart

Wheatear

Whinchat

Stonechat

Song Thrush

Mistle Thrush

Blackbird

Blackcap

Lesser Whitethroat

Cetti’s Warbler

Willow Warbler

Firecrest

Pied Flycatcher

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Woodchat Shrike

Magpie

Jay

Chough

Carrion Crow

Raven

Starling

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Bullfinch

Yellowhammer

Corn Bunting

Birds that were heard only:

Orphean Warbler – 14^th April - Embalse de la Sotonera, Huesca (In shrubby trees by the side of the lake)
  

Quail

Chiffchaff

Northern Spain Trip Report - Day 4

Day 4 - Wednesday 16th April 2014

The next morning saw us head further north still through the beautiful alpine villages to reach our destination of the Astun Ski resort, where Snow Finch and Alpine Accentor are regular visitors throughout the winter months. 

A walk around produced several Crag Martins nesting underneath the rooftops of the buildings, and they provided great views as they swooped along the banks collecting mud and returning to the nest sites. 

A cracking summer plumaged Water Pipit was great to watch foraging on the banks heading towards the slope – colours I’m not used to seeing them in being just a winter visitor to the UK. April was slightly too late to observe any Snow Finches or Alpine Accentors in the car parking area however, so a trip up the mountain was on the cards. A slightly hairy moment when me and Alex didn’t realise we had to put the ski-lift safety barrier down on the way up the slope was in all in vain however, as there was no sign of either species at the halfway café.

The trip back down resulted in us having to then climb all the way back up the snowy slope by foot after Chris thought he had picked up the song of an Alpine Accentor whilst in the ski-lift on the journey back. Closer reflection and it turned that what he had actually heard was the squeaking of the ski-lift as the chairs passed over a joint.

Later in the afternoon we headed off to a site I found through google whilst waiting on the mountainside, the Monasterio de San Juan de la Pena, which has a good reputation for Black Woodpecker sightings.

Stopping off to admire the simply amazing views the twisting roads offered, a warbler singing in the surrounding trees eventually revealed itself to be a fine male Subalpine Warbler. Flitting from branch to branch, despite its close proximity, it took a good ten minutes to nail the ID of this skulking individual, the white moustachial stripe and red eye separating it from the similar Spectacled Warbler.

Driving up the heavily pine forested road to the monastery, we noticed several small birds feeding on the tarmac, mostly Chaffinches and Greenfinches, before a small yellow bird on its own caught our eye. Excited exclamations from the back of the car and shouts of “It’s a Citril Finch!” from Chris confirmed that it was indeed this hard to come by Alpine finch – completely unexpectedly and totally out of the blue. 

We watched it busy feeding before it flitted up and away in to the canopy – magical. We had spent some time earlier in the week searching at another location for these charismatic finches, but after drawing a blank we had resigned ourselves to not catching up with one on the trip!

Testing out my long buried Spanish skills at the monastery’s visitor shop (Donde estan los picos negros por favour?!) we headed up the steep slope to the viewpoint where I was told they could be found. Here more Griffon Vultures soared overhead, framed by the brilliant, cloudless blue skies and some individuals flying exceptionally low around us – our elevated position putting us at their level. Soon the shout went up of Lammergeier, and our second individual of the trip made its way over our heads, showing the distinctive diamond shaped tail and orangey belly that separates it from the other vultures.

In the distance, we could hear the call of a Black Woodpecker that came steadily closer as the time went by, leading to an absolutely phenomenal spot by Chris as he located it half hidden behind a trunk and completely obscured by branches in the valley below – whether this was by eagle eyed eyesight or by pure luck, I was still blown away that he had managed to locate it.

A tense few seconds ensued when despite the scope pointing directly at the bird, I just couldn’t see it, showing just how completely camouflaged it really was! I eventually caught sight of a large yellow eye peering back at me framed by jet black feathers, with that vibrant vermillion red crest on the top of the head standing out against the foliage. 

The three of us after woodpecker success

Europe’s largest woodpecker species, this was one of the highlights of the trip for me, and even though we only saw the top half of the birds body as it clung silently to the trunk, it was a truly amazing thing to be watching this magnificent woodpecker. Incredibly still and clinging close to the trunk, I appreciated just how lucky we were to see it – a Black Woodpecker needle-in-a-haystack amongst hundreds and hundreds of trees!

Panoramic view of the area

Completely satisfied with our day and two tricky targets seen, we headed back to Zaragoza, thankfully avoiding the drums and cloaked figures of our previous stay!